1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mold washing device of a pulp product manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a pulp product manufacturing apparatus which automatically washes a pulp collecting mold and prevents dispersed pulp material from remaining on a frame and in which guide columns are mounted between the frame and an upper fastening plate so as to serve as posts and to guide raising and lowering movement of upper squeezing means thereby to secure stability upon raising and lowering of the upper squeezing means.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a pulp container is used for surrounding an outer contour of an electric home appliance or serves as a packaging receptacle for a precooked food. The pulp container provides advantages in that it can be quickly corroded upon being filled into land and can prevent a noxious component from being mixed with a food. Hereinafter, a construction of a conventional pulp product manufacturing apparatus will be described.
FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a conventional pulp product manufacturing apparatus. The apparatus includes a frame 100. A forming tank 110 is mounted to a front portion of the frame 100, and pulp material which is prepared by decomposing waste paper, is supplied into the forming tank 110. A first lower mold LM1 is actuated up and down through a first cylinder S1 in the forming tank 110 and forces the pulp material to be sucked against a metal mesh M having a predetermined contour. A first upper mold HM1 is actuated through a second cylinder S2. The first upper mold HM1 heats and compresses the pulp material which is sucked against the first lower mold LM1, and then, sucks and moves the resultantly formed pulp material onto a second lower mold LM2. A movable member 120 is repeatedly moved above the forming tank 110 through a horizontal hydraulic cylinder S5, and second and third lower molds LM2 and LM3 are mounted to the movable member 120. Second and third upper molds HM2 and HM3 are respectively actuated by third and fourth cylinders S3 and S4. The second and third upper molds HM2 and HM3 repeatedly heat and compress the resultantly formed pulp material which is sequentially placed on the second and third lower molds LM2 and LM3, and then, discharge a finally manufactured pulp product out of the apparatus.
Therefore, after the pulp material is sucked against the metal mesh M through raising and lowering movement of the first lower mold LM1, the resultantly formed pulp material is heated and compressed through raising and lowering movement of the first through third upper molds HM1, HM2 and HM3 and through forward and rearward movement of the second and third lower molds LM2 and LM3, while being fed in a stepwise manner, thereby to finally manufacture the pulp product.
However, the conventional pulp product manufacturing apparatus constructed as mentioned above suffers from defects in that, since the apparatus serves as basic means for simply manufacturing the pulp product, a surface of the pulp product is roughed. Also, because a washing operation of the first lower mold is manually conducted, productivity is deteriorated. Further, due to the fact that unnecessary structures such as columns are mounted to the apparatus, a cost of the entire manufacturing apparatus is raised.
In other words, since the metal mesh of the first lower mold is manually washed, the pulp material is not completely removed from the metal mesh, and instead, remains on the metal mesh, whereby a defective proportion of end products is increased.
Moreover, while the manufacturing apparatus constructed as mentioned above can manufacture a packing case having a predetermined configuration, a food container or the like, it cannot manufacture a thick pulp plate.
Further, while guide shafts which are raised and lowered through an upper fastening plate, are disposed on a single upper plate which constitutes the upper molds, to guide raising and lowering movement of the upper molds, since the guide shafts are raised and lowered along with the upper molds, the manufacturing apparatus weighs too much, whereby a great deal of power is consumed by the cylinders. Furthermore, because the guide shafts extend only through the upper fastening plate, the upper molds are seriously fluctuated while being raised and lowered, whereby a defective proportion of end products can be further increased.